Day Off
by cinbru
Summary: Pure and simple yet slightly drawn out Babe fluff. Smut potential. Ranger and Steph need a day off. Cupcake friendly.
1. Part one

Disclaimer: I own none of these wonderful characters. Janet owns everything.

Day Off

Part one

"Fuck. My ice cream was in the car." Okay, so maybe this was a little unhealthy that my first thought after watching my car blow up was for my unrealized saturated fat. I just couldn't seem to get that worked up about the car. It was that kind of day. Actually, this morning wasn't that bad. I found a whole section of last-season Victoria Secret underwear on clearance. It got ugly.

I could hear the sirens in the background. My skip was long gone. He took off after I tripped over my own feet and shot a hole in my gas tank. Jerk. The LEAST he could have done was make sure I was okay. I blew out a breath and figured I had better come up with a good cover story. I'd never hear the end of it in the cop betting pool. Plus, I figured Morelli would be arriving and I really didn't want to admit I shot my car. He had mellowed since we decided to take a permanent break. We just wanted different things. But what we did want was friendship and the love that goes along with history. We were good at that. I mean, hey, we both ate like crap. What girl wouldn't want that in her life? Plus, I could still check out his butt when he wasn't looking.

I felt an arm slide across my shoulder. "Hey Joe." "Hey Cupcake. This is impressive. I didn't know fire could jump like that over that other car to the Supercuts. Have you learned how to channel your power?"

I cut my eyes to Joe and didn't answer. Inside, I did a happy dance. Supercuts had turned my hair orange when I was 14. Right before school pictures.

"Seriously, you okay?" I could hear the slight tension lacing his voice. He never would quite quit worrying.

"I'm fine. I didn't like the Corolla anyway."

Joe smiled at my levity. "I'll let you get back to your denial. Looks like first string is here, anyway. Come by the station tomorrow for your statement. Might take a little longer since you torched a building." Joe had begun referring to Ranger as 'first string' since we broke up. I think he was convinced we would get together. I did, too. So far, not much has changed. Ranger was out of town when Joe and I bit the dust. Since his return, he has been less intimidating. He has shown up a few times at my apartment with dinner to discuss jobs. Once he even knocked. Of course, the next time he broke right on in while I was in the shower. Ranger tried to peek in until I screeched at him and he went to wait on the couch. Thankfully it was a regular shower and not a 'massager shower'. That could have been embarrassing.

I watched Joe depart. Okay, I watched some parts depart more than others. I felt another heavy arm slide across my shoulders. "Impressive, Babe. How did you get the fire-"

"I didn't have anything to do with it! It was a freak of nature. I can't channel any power!"

Ranger smiled at me and tucked a curl behind my ear. "You never disappoint, Babe. Want to explain how you blew up your car?"

I decided to go with Story A. Here goes nothing. "Well my skip, Stucky Garbozi, was running after me. And he turned to shoot at me and I ducked behind the Corolla. I guess when he was aiming at me he shot the gas tank. Then he just took off."

Ranger smiled, never taking his eyes off the wreckage. Across the street the Supercuts sign began to list perilously to one side. "That's amazing how he was able to shoot at you since Tank picked Stucky up a few minutes ago and he didn't have a gun."

You have to do better than that, Manoso. "He threw away the gun when he ran off." HA!

"Or how the gas tank is on the other side of the car from where he was 'shooting'." Hmmmm. This was a little harder.

"He missed and the bullet ricocheted off of the Supercuts and hit the gas tank." He could believe it. Maybe. Ranger just kept looking on with his almost smile.

"That was a good one. But Mrs. Edson seems to have seen a woman matching your description tripping over the sidewalk and shooting that Corolla over there."

Shit.

"Shit."

Ranger gave me the full 200 watts and bent down until I felt his hot breath just below my ear. "I won't tell. It's a good story. You just need to tweak it a little more before tomorrow. I'll help."

"Are you going to make Mrs. Edson disappear?" I asked hopefully. Ranger pressed his lips briefly to my skin and I felt a tingle that turned into a shiver. I felt his lips smile against my neck at my shiver.

"Not yet. But we can encourage her to not mention that."

Okay. Disaster averted. Ranger tugged me along to his car leaving his arm around my shoulder. I liked it there. Too much. He was flirting and being all slick but he wasn't putting out. Actually, slick wasn't the right word. He was different. We had changed since the Scrog shooting. My change came with the realization that I was in love with him. I sure hoped that his change was because of the same thing.

Ranger pulled away from the curb, heading towards my apartment. Instead of his usual zone, he reached over and slid his hand over mine, rubbing the top with his thumb. Every time he needed to shift, instead of letting go he placed my hand on the stick and used it to push into the next gear.

He glanced at me. I must have looked a sight with my dirt smudges and post blast hair. "How about we pick up dinner and eat at your place? I want to talk with you about a job."

"As long as it's the kind of food that shortens my lifespan, I'm in."

"Babe."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo RS ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"No way in Hell, Ranger! Have you seen the costume?" What am I saying? Of COURSE he had seen it. He probably planned the job because of the costume.

"Babe."

"Don't 'Babe' me. It's not going to be YOUR ass hanging out!" Damn.

Ranger must have ESP'd my last thought because a ghost of a smile touched his lips but he didn't answer. I knew what he was doing. He was waiting me out. Waiting for me to finish my tirade and get to the real stuff. Like how much.

"Oh all right. How much?"

The skip, Tom Jenson, was a performer at Six Flags Great Adventure. He was in the German show. The one where the girls wear the little German shorts with the white tights and suspenders over a fluffy shirt. There is also a hat, but I'm not going to mention the hat. It's too bad, really. I love Six Flags. I haven't been in years.

"Actually, I wanted to negotiate the salary." Ranger said as he sprawled on my couch. This is another new thing for Ranger. He _sprawled_. "You go, wear the outfit and lure Jenson out of rehearsal before the park opens, and I'll buy you a new car. A safe one. With a reinforced gas tank." Hmmmm. This was a good offer. But a new thought worried me.

"Wait. How early are we talking?" Six Flags wasn't too far, but it was at least 20 miles and there was morning traffic to account for.

"We would have to be there at 7:00 am." This was good, actually. I needed this kind of leverage.

"I don't know, Ranger. I might need something else to make that kind of sacrifice." This is where I needed to play my cards right.

Ranger cut his eyes to me and hinted at a smile. He acts tough but I think he likes it when I try to best him. He likes a challenge. He would wait me out.

I plunged right in. "The way I see it, Six Flags will be so thankful that we don't cause a scene that they would let a few of us stick around for awhile and ride some rides. I haven't been there for years. I want to ride Batman!" Too late I realized what I had said. My cheeks turned pink and I think I started sweating. Ranger slowly smiled his wolf grin and before I knew what had happened he had pushed me flat on my back on the couch. Surprisingly, he didn't kiss me right away. He smiled at me in his sexy way and then leaned down and slowly licked up my neck. When he got to the top, he fisted his hand in my hair and turned my head to expose the rest of my neck. I felt his open mouth on my jaw line, with just the tip of his tongue touching my skin. I felt his other hand slide across my stomach with his thumb trailing just below my breasts. I was a fast sinking ship.

And then his pager went off. Ranger groaned and rolled off me.

"It's the office, Babe. You'll have to ride Batman some other time." He was smiling and his eyes were warm. He was holding my hand again. Certain parts of me were warm, too.

"While I appreciate the fact that you seem excited to refer to yourself as Batman, I want to finish this deal. I like the car idea, but I also want you to hang out with me for awhile and take me on some rides. And I'm talking the cool rides. And you have to look normal and have fun." I was pushing my luck.

Ranger grimaced, but I saw amusement just below the surface. He wasn't trying too hard to hide it.

"Alright, Babe. But I'm not eating cotton candy no matter how hot you look in those shorts."


	2. Part two

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Janet owns everything.

**Day Off**

Part two

_Ranger grimaced, but I saw amusement just below the surface. He wasn't trying too hard to hide it. _

"_Alright, Babe. But I'm not eating cotton candy no matter how hot you look in those shorts."_

The next morning came waaaay too early. Ranger, Tank and Lester picked me up in two cars at 5:30 am to make sure we got there and they had time to 'secure the perimeter' or some other fancy term. I stopped paying attention and fell asleep 5 minutes into the drive. I awoke to soft kisses and warm Ranger breath on my face. Ranger's breath is an enigma of epic proportions. It's never bad. Is that even possible? Is there a breath God that no one told me about? Do you have to be Cuban?

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

"Please tell me the shorts got longer while I was asleep."

"I wouldn't have let that happen." This was true.

Tank and Lester were unloading equipment in the service parking lot. They didn't have much, so I assumed they felt this would be an easy skip.

"He's gay, Babe." THAT explains why he stole 200,000 of Diana Ross memorabilia. But he could still be fast.

"I'm faster." Ranger said. He looked smug. Damn ESP.

I could see a few employees gathering over by the stage. I walked over to the bathroom to change. As I tugged the shorts over my ass (and they did require tugging) I started calculating just how long Ranger would need to stay to make this up to me. At least two and a half hours. No, three! Three hours. Three hours might be pushing it, but how often did I get to be here? Maybe I shouldn't push my luck and just go for two. I eyeballed the hat. Three fucking hours for the hat.

ooooooooooooooooo RS oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hi there. Are you Tom? I'm new. I was told you could help me learn the dance." Please God, don't make me have to dance. I had walked over to the stage after feeling three pairs of eyes follow my ass from whatever stealth place they were hiding. I know I had a wedgie.

"Yeah, sure. But we don't have much time. Show me what you know so far." Oh God.

"Actually, I don't know anything. No, sir. Starting from scratch."

"Why do I always get the damn virgins? All right, just show me some moves so I know what I'm dealing with." Okay, this was a problem. I'm an okay dancer but I don't have ANY clue what to do here. Is there German dancing? And why the HELL won't these shorts get out of my ass?

"Well?" Tom was getting annoyed. He was tapping his foot. I blew out a breath and went with the only thing I really knew. Hoochie dancing. I swung my hips and raised both hands in the air. I made it about three seconds before Tom couldn't take it.

"What the hell is that? German porn dancing? This is Six Flags, Honey. We are professionals here. I don't know where they found you, but you can just go back to your pole." Okay, this wasn't going well.

"No, no! I can do it. Please. I really need this job. Uhhh…Diana Ross is coming in town soon and I'm trying to save money." Wow, that was a whopper. I had no clue as to the current state of Diana Ross.

Tom's eyes bugged out. "Holy shit, Honey! You, too? She's my, like, idol! I have all of her stuff!" This was going better. Now how do I get him through those side gates….

"I have some of her stilettos from 1979 in my car. Want to go see them after the show?" Ahhhh, problem solved for me. Wait…after the show?

"Come on, Honey. We only have 30 minutes to learn this dance. We're the opening number so I hope you can de-slut enough to get this. Where do you strip at?" I give up.

"Baby Doe's."

"Just don't take off any clothes."

We worked on the dance for the next 30 minutes. It wasn't too bad since it was repetitive. But I still didn't have it all down by show time and what I did know was danced at about a two second delay behind the others.

With 5 minutes to go, Tom was in a tizzy.

"Okay people! Remember! If you don't smile big I'm putting Vaseline on your teeth for the next show! You- New girl! Get down to the end! No, farther down!"

And before I new it, we were parading onto the stage and the music had started. I stood still in shock before the crowd until the guy next to me shoved me and I started dancing. I forgot most of it and resorted to hopping around. This wasn't going well. I could hear the crowd laughing.

"Okay everyone!" yelled Tom "Welcome to Six Flags! We need some volunteers to come dance with us!"

The other dancers ran out to the audience and started pulling laughing people on-stage. I looked around and saw my prey. Lester was stationed to be part of the audience and was in normal clothes. I headed his way. When he figured out my intent, I saw his eyes get big and he started making the NO!NO!NO! waving motion with his hands.

"Screw that, Lester. If I'm going down, I'm taking casualties!" And with that I half pulled, half dragged him on stage.

"Just follow my lead, everyone!" Tom was yelling.

I'll give him credit, Lester sucked it up. With one more glower at me he started trying to copy Tom and soon he and I were doing the same totally wrong hop-dance I had invented. I looked up and saw that Ranger and Tank had completely given up their hiding spots and had their camera phones out. I saw Tank turn to Ranger with a huge grin and mouth 'movie clip'.

Lester saw this, too, and barked out "OVERTIME" in their general direction. The crowd was roaring and Ranger and Tank could barely hold their phones, especially when Lester hopped too energetically and the two of us almost went down. We were so bad that we had resorted to holding on to one another so we wouldn't fall down.

Finally Tom sent the volunteers back to the crowd. Lester got a standing ovation as he made his way back. By this time he was smiling and even made a bow or two.

It was our big finale. I was supposed to do this skip turn thingy and end up in the spits. It didn't go quite that way. By the time everyone was down in the splits, I was still up trying to turn. I just sort of fell down with my legs out. I could see Tom with his hands over his face. The crowd cheered as we waved and paraded off. I was hoping desperately that Tom's Diana Ross fetish would overcome his 'I hate you, you ruined my show' feelings. I wasn't disappointed. He didn't say anything, just mumbled something about "fucking strippers" and motioned me to follow him.

We snuck away from the practice area toward the gates. Tom, my new best friend, creeping ahead of me. I was kinda starting to like him. We had just made it through the gates when Lester stepped into view. Tom halted abruptly and I crashed into him.

"Oh. My. God. It's the volunteer from the show! He can't dance but that is the hottest guy I have ever seen!" Tell me about it.

"Look, Tom. That's Lester. He's in bond enforcement and we have come to take you back to court to reschedule your missed court date. I'm really sorry about the whole Diana Ross thing." I'm not sure Tom was listening. He was staring at Lester.

"Okay, I'll tell you what. If I can arrange it so that you can pinch Lester's ass and THEN ride back to Trenton in the car with him, will you go with them quietly?" Tom blinked and the word 'ass' seemed to register with him.

"Girlfriend, I'll go with him anywhere." Tom sighed as Lester reached us.

I knocked the offensive hat off my head. Lester reached down to pick it up for me and Tom made his move. Lester jumped back up very, very quickly.

"What the hell was that!"

I could see Ranger and Tank laughing as they walked up. Why did no one seem concerned at all about this takedown?

"Tom, this is Lester, Tank and Ranger. Lester and Tank will be escorting you to get rebonded. Tank likes action adventures, reading and lifting weights. Lester enjoys cooking, South Park and he has a Wii." I finished, pleased with myself for being such a successful matchmaker. I could feel Ranger smiling at me. Tank and Lester weren't as amused. Lester was still holding his butt.

"Rangeman," Lester grimaced "this is fucking overtime." He started to pull Tom away towards the parking lot. Tom stopped and swung around to look at me and Ranger.

"Wait! You aren't really going to keep dancing with my group, are you?" I shook my head. He breathed his relief.

"Thank God! Cuz you sucked, Honey!"


	3. Part three

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Janet owns everything.

Note: The name and rides are real, but I have never been to NJ Six Flags so I may be full of shit in my descriptions.

Day Off

Part three

Ranger swung his arm over my shoulder.

"Babe, that has now jumped to number two in my all time favorite Stephanie take-downs."

"What did it bump?"

"It edged out the time you left the wedding without your gun and wrestled the skip until we threw water on you and your dress became see through. This won because it contained skimpy clothing _and_ you embarrassed one of my men."

"What is your favorite?"

"Nothing will ever top group sex night."

We headed back to the bathrooms. As Ranger looking normal was part of the deal, he went to change, too. But not before he cast a long last look at my shorts. Before I knew it, he had me pressed up against him and was kissing me hard. Both hands reached around and slid down to my butt. We are talking full cheek groping. When his thumbs started brushing up underneath, I managed to push him away. Public place! Shaking his head with regret, he walked into the bathroom.

I finally got my underwear out of my butt, changed into a stretchy yellow tee and jean shorts and fluffed my hair. Ranger was leaning against the wall outside, waiting for me. I stared.

He had on an army green and white t-shirt that said 'Jerry's Gun Shop. Shooting people since 1987', trendy camo shorts and flip flops. I repeat, flip flops. I almost fell down.

"They're just flip flops, Babe."

"But they are on your feet!" And he had nice feet, too. I usually didn't like seeing men wearing flip flops because men's feet are…well…gross. But he even had sexy feet. Strong. Not even hairy. The Breath God must be friends with the Foot God. Life was unfair.

Ranger was hanging out, waiting patiently for me to finish my inner dialog. He was quite at peace with my scrutiny. I was still thinking about his feet. The times I had seen him naked, I really hadn't looked down. Well, not ALL the way down. What else had I missed?

"Just ask, Babe." He said, never breaking eye contact. I blushed.

Ranger smiled, took my hand and pulled me along. "What do you want to go on first?" he asked as we walked. He was still holding my hand.

We debated the merits of the best rides or the worst rides first and compromised with the Kingda Ka. It was still early, so the line was minimal.

"Are you going to scream like a girl?" I asked hopefully as we sat side by side in the very first seats (I had insisted). Ranger cut his eyes to me and said nothing, but his almost smile hovered on his lips. I smiled back and before I knew it, he leaned over and kissed my forehead just as the ride jerked to a start. Jerked is a kind word. Rocketed, actually. Ranger and I were thrown back in our seats from our awkward position as the coaster shot upwards 45 stories. I tried to hold it in, but unfortunately I screamed like a little girl. As we plummeted down I was able to turn my head enough to see Ranger laughing out loud. Hmmm. The man of mystery was having a good time.

We were still laughing as we got off. I think I was seeing spots and I held on to Ranger's arm like a life preserver as I tried to get my breath. He wrapped both arms around me to keep me steady as we walked down the ramp.

"OK. That was pretty good." he said, and smiled down at me, his eyes twinkling. He looked 10 years younger and I told him so.

He gave his wolf grin and backed me into the rail. "Men are at their sexual peak at 20, Babe." he whispered against my lips. He had his hands on either side of me holding the rail as he kissed me, blocking my escape. He needn't have bothered. Who wanted to escape? His lips were soft against mine as he nibbled my bottom lip with his teeth. I opened my mouth to him and his warm tongue slipped in to stroke mine. Before I could stop myself, my fingers slid up and tangled in his hair and I made a little 'mmmph' sound into his mouth. I could feel warmth spreading low as he drew me against him, sliding both hands around my waist, his tongue continuing to tease mine. God, I wanted him. Until I heard the snickering. Ranger and I froze mid kiss and glanced over to the left where a group of ten year old boys were staring and giggling. "Hey!" one yelled, "Are you going to do her right here?" Then they bolted.

Ranger sighed and rested his cheek on the top of my head. "I don't remember being that ballsy when I was a kid."

"That's probably because you had already started making out with girls at 10."

"Babe, I was at least 11. You give me too much credit. And I heard about you and Morelli in the garage." I had nothing to say to this. He grabbed my hand again.

"Come on. There are many more rides you need to drag me on."

And so it went. We went on three more rides, each more fun than the last. The roller coasters were great, but standing in line with Ranger was worth all of it. We talked. He shared. He told me stories from when he was young and we laughed like dorks about the time he and Tank captured the wrong person during a drill two weeks into boot camp and it turned out to be a General.

Ranger and I had just finished with the Great American Scream Machine (which he almost wouldn't go on because of the name alone). At this point we had been there for about two and a half hours and I figured we better finish up. I steered him towards Batman and Robin.

"You sure, Babe? Don't you want to go on Nitro first?" How cute. Ranger was memorizing names.

"Nah. It's about that time."

The line was about 40 minutes. We spent the first half talking about his daughter and how they had been talking on the phone since the Scrog incident. I wanted to ask if he hung up on her, too, at the end of their conversation but bit my tongue. Ranger was relaxed. He had hoisted himself up on the rail and had pulled me in between his legs while we talked. The line was slow so we had a few minutes like this before he had to hop down as it moved. He was definitely acting different. He held my hand, tucked my hair behind my ears and bent to whisper inappropriate comments in my ear now and then. And I wanted him bad.

20 minutes later, we were still waiting.

"Come on, Ranger!"

"No."

"Please?"

"Fine. But I'm going first."

"Okay."

"I went to the store and I bought something that starts with the letter S."

"Sugar? No, of course not. Oh! Salad?"

"No."

"Shampoo? Sweet Tarts? Saran Wrap?"

"No."

"Is it a perishable?"

"No."

"Sausage?"

"Babe, that's a perishable."

"No it isn't. Have you ever seen kielbasa go bad?"

"No, it's not sausage."

13 minutes later I was still guessing and getting pissed.

"Okay, so it isn't perishable, it's not a brand name, you don't consume it in any way and grown ups use it. Shave gel?"

"No."

"Sanitary napkins?"

"_No_!"

"Shit, Ranger! I give up. You win. Now for the love of God, what the hell is it?"

"SSK bore sweepers."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Hey, you didn't specify _which_ store we were shopping in."

"Lame, Carlos." Ranger smiled 200 watts at me.

"You called me Carlos."

"Yeah, I was testing it out."

"How'd it go?"

"Weird."

"Good weird?"

"I'm not sure, Carlos. Yeah, see it's still weird the second time around. I just need to get a handle on it."

"I've got something else you could get a handle on."

"Weak."

"It's not weak."

"I remember."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo RS oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The ride was great. 0-70 in 4 seconds. I don't think I could handle going on that ride more than once, and it was the perfect ending to our morning. But I was sad to go. Ranger really seemed to have a good time and he was all over me in an affectionate and sexy kind of way. Even now he was holding my hand as we strolled to the employee exit. Ranger pulled to a halt when we got there, looking confused.

"What's up, Babe. Are you wanting to leave?"

"Well, yeah, Ranger, we have been here for over 3 hours now."

"And?" He asked this softly, but I could see his blank face starting to make an appearance.

"And you have a business to run. You toughed it out for longer than I expected but I'm not going to take advantage of the situation. I've had a really good time as it is."

Ranger looked like a cross between confused and disappointed.

"Steph, do you want to go home now?"

"Well, no. I just figured you had things to do today." Catch bad guys. Save the world.

"You're right, Babe, I do have things to do today. I'm at Six Flags, with you. And I'm about to have a lunch that will probably disgust me and then I'm going to go on some more rides. Then I had planned to convince you to go with me to meet Mick Foley since this is WWE day. After that, it's up to you." Here he paused, his eyes sweeping over my face. "I haven't had a day off in years. I'm glad to be here with you. Will you stay with me?"

I smiled up at him and felt all goofy. He smiled back, except Ranger doesn't do goofy. But he does do happy. He brought his hands to my face sliding his fingers under my hair to the back of my neck, his thumbs on my cheeks. "I hope that smile means 'Yes, Ranger, I'll stay the day with you'." I rolled my eyes.

"Twist my arm!"

Still smiling, he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me softly. It was sweet, and warm spoke of how happy we were with each other at the moment. It also got me a little hot. I'm not dead.

Ranger ended the kiss and went back for one more big smack.

"Thank God, because I would have felt really stupid here by myself."


	4. Part four

Disclaimer: I own nothing, Janet owns everything.

Note: Okay, the last half of this part strays a little bit, but I got the thought in my head and so I stuck it in. WWE/Mick Foley day is real and just happened. I saw it on the website when I was looking up the ride names. I made up the other stuff.

Day Off

Part four

We sat outside the little Ranger-named 'crapfood' stand under an umbrella. I had a foot long chili dog, fries and a coke. The only salad they had for Ranger was one with fried chicken strips on it. The offensive strips were piled neatly in rows on a napkin beside his salad. I was thinking of eating them when I was done with my dog.

"Why are you so freakish about eating healthy?" I asked him.

"In our line of work, your body is your biggest weapon. If it's slow it could mean the difference between life and death. That's one thing they drilled into us in the Rangers. Keep your gun clean and your body cleaner. It also makes you feel better in general. I do eat fattening food on occasion, but if there are other options I stick to those."

"I plan on dying fat."

"Babe."

"Will you at least buy me an ice cream later?"

"I'll compromise and buy you a Lemon Chill."

"No one can say you aren't a fun guy."

"Do you think I'm a fun guy?"

I paused before I answered. I looked at him, sitting in the middle of Six Flags eating a salad from a fast food stand and scanning the crowd every so often out of habit. I knew he was nervous without his gun, but was making the best of it. He was completely out of his element. I truly loved him at that moment.

I was quiet so long that Ranger stopped eating to glance at me, eyebrows raised.

"I think, Ranger, that you are my best friend. Out of all the 'fun' people I know, you are the one that I really wanted to go to Six Flags with today."

Ranger was staring at me, his face unreadable, fork halfway to his mouth. I held my breath. It was one of my safer admissions, as admissions go, but it was still an admission.

Suddenly he scooted his chair back and tugged me to my feet. He pulled me close into him and hugged me. He kissed my head, my cheek and my shoulder before resting his face against my neck. I just held on.

I heard him speak softly into my neck. "I'm not sure I've ever had a best friend."

"What about childhood?"

"Steph, those weren't friends."

"Not even Tank?"

He pulled up and looked at me, still keeping me close. "Tank and I…I trust him with my life and my business. He's probably the closest thing I have to a 'best friend'. But I'm the boss and I can't be too personal with him. We joke back and forth about some personal things, but he doesn't even know or ask about our relationship."

"You mean how you adore me and can't live without me?"

"Pretty much." He was smiling but his eyes were serious. Okay, this was turning out pretty good.

Ranger sat back down, pulling me onto his lap. He slid my food over so I could eat from my new spot. We finished the rest of our lunch that way, laughing and talking, with Ranger's left arm snug against my waist.

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An hour later we were standing in line to meet Mick Foley. He was sitting at a table signing autographs and a temporary mat was set up behind him where wannabe wrestlers were getting pointers from two huge pro wrestlers. A pimply Six Flags employee was handing out waivers.

"What is this again?"

"Babe, not what. Who. This is Cactus Jack. Mankind. WCW, WWF, WWE. Three time WWF Champion and served as Commissioner. He's a legend!"

"Apparently."

"You mock me, but one of his wrestling moves saved my life on a mission once."

"And you admit this?"

"Actually, no. Tank still thinks I came up with it on my own. It would be nice if you wouldn't mention it."

"What are best friends for?"

We reached the front of the line. Ranger and Mick did some complicated hand thing and Ranger proceeded to tell him that he thought he was cheated in Germany. Something about 1994, Vadar and the ropes being too tight. I wasn't paying attention. Then, to my shock, Ranger bought two shirts for Mick to sign. An extra large for himself and then the biggest shirt I have ever seen.

"Dude!" Mick and I both exhaled together.

"Tank." Ranger said.

Mick eyed the shirt. "Does he want to get into wrestling?"

"Only if women are involved." This caused another complicated hand thing between Ranger and Mick. I rolled my eyes.

Mick cut his eyes to me. "I'll wrestle with you, cutie!"

"Get in line." Ranger told him, sliding his arm across my shoulders.

Mick turned to Ranger. "I'll make you a bet. Get on the mat with Lightning Lawrence over there. If he pins you in under three minutes, I get to kiss your girl here."

Ranger studied Mick quietly for a few heartbeats. "And if I pin him?"

"Huh!" Mick chuckled. "You won't pin him, Sonny."

"Then you don't need to worry."

"Alright, what do you want? A few more shirts? I got an imitation belt around here somewhere…"

"Four seats for this year's championship. Ringside."

Mick sucked in a breath. Lightning Lawrence and the other wrestler swung their heads in our direction. Ranger held Mick's gaze. I was starting to feel a little pissy about this. I mean, Hey! I was the one having to kiss the old, chubby guy here! What the hell? This was my fun day at Six Flags and now Ranger is going to wrestle some beefed up guys and I might have to tongue someone? Wait a minute. Ranger is going to wrestle….no shirt…other beefed up guy…sweat…

I almost missed Mick's reply. "Alright. I'll take that bet."

"So why aren't you going to wrestle?" I asked him.

"Because, cutie. I'm 42 years old. Have you seen my belts? I fucking rock! But my sciatic acts up now if I push too hard."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I jogged after Ranger as he walked over to the mat.

"Ranger! I don't want to kiss him! He's all hairy!"

Ranger got over to the bench and kicked off his shoes. He looked at me and did his almost smile. "You won't kiss him, Babe."

The pimply Six Flags guy walked over to Ranger. "Sir, I'm going to need you to sign this. It just states that, in case of injury, you won't hold us liable…"

Ranger cut his eyes to the kid and he took a step back.

"Never mind. Just don't hurt me."

Mick was over talking to Lightning and the other guy. They were watching Ranger. They didn't look too concerned. Ranger still had all his clothes on. The shorts were baggy cargo style that reached his knees and his shirt was a regular loose fitting t-shirt. While he looked fit and muscular, the clothes hid the true extent of his body. He peeled off his shirt. A woman still standing in line dropped her drink.

Ranger isn't extremely bulky, but he is a big guy. More importantly, his body looks like it has been hardened and trained over many years until it was just the right combination of heavy muscle and lean fight. The kind of body you want to push down on the floor and sit on until you beg for mercy. Okay, at least that's what _I_ want to do with it. Mick and the two others were now looking at Ranger speculatively.

Ranger was now clad in only his cargos. He removed the belt so they sat low on his hips. He looked good. Lightning Lawrence crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at Ranger doing his WWE intimidation act. Ranger smiled and folded his shirt.

I turned to Ranger. "So what's the plan? Are you going to kung-fu him?"

"No, Babe, I'm not going to kung-fu him. This is wrestling."

"Can you wrestle?"

"I'm trained in the discipline of offensive and defensive maneuvers. Not wrestling."

"So how are you going to kick his ass and save me from hairy tongue?"

"Watch and see."

The mat was in the corner of the room with walls along two sides. Lightning was already standing in the middle and his partner, American Justice, was prowling around the outside. American Justice was huge. We are talking almost Tank big. Even Lightning had a couple inches and about 30 pounds on Ranger. I knew Ranger was good, but I started to feel a little concerned. I mean, this was my man! Ok, technically he wasn't mine, but it felt like it right this second.

Mick was smiling at Ranger. I saw them eyeball each other. Suddenly Ranger turned around, pulled me to him and dipped me, kissing the daylights out of me.

"What was that?"

"Luck."

"You were out-machoing him, weren't you?"

"Yep."

Ranger walked onto the mat and began stretching out his muscles. Mick explained about the rules of the game and how long they had to be pinned for. I don't know. I was watching Ranger stretch.

Mick came and stood by me, holding his watch. "Okay, gentleman. In 5-4-3-2-1! Go!"

Lightning immediately lunged at Ranger. Ranger sidestepped gracefully and Lightning swept past. He pulled up and swung back around. Ranger's eyes never wavered from Lightning. Lightning lunged a second time and this time Ranger dropped low right as he got close, catching him in the gut with a shoulder. Lightning dropped to the ground, but instead of pinning him Ranger stood back up and calmly waited for him to rise, his hands clasped behind his back.

Mick was silent beside me, but American Justice was pacing, looking pissed. A crowd had gathered but the two men on the mat were staring at each other. Lightning lunged a third time, dipping lower himself and plowed into Ranger, grabbing him around the waist. His momentum carried the pair back several paces. Ranger reached down and locked his arms around Lightning's waist, planted his feet and with a great heave, reared back. Lightning's own steps helped push his legs and body up and suddenly he found himself upside down facing away from Ranger, the momentum continuing to swing his legs over Ranger's shoulder. With a grunt, Ranger slammed Lightning's upper back and shoulders down onto the mat, dropping down on one knee himself. He used his weight to push Lightning's legs back up against his upper body, effectively sandwiching him. At the same time, Ranger brought his knee to Lightning's left shoulder, pinning him to the ground. The crowd yelled. Ranger was magnificent. The same woman dropped her funnel cake.

Mick expelled a breath next to me and walked closer to the mat. I stood up on the bench to see better as Mick started his count to five. Lightning was struggling, but since his ass was in the air, he couldn't get the momentum he needed to move much.

When Mick got to three, American Justice couldn't take it any more and charged onto the mat to tag-team his partner in pure WWE fashion. I saw him coming at Ranger and I yelled. I remember yelling. I'm a little fuzzy on the part where I launched myself off of the bench and on to the behemoth's back. Normally it would have been like a fly on an elephant but I hit him so hard and he was already moving so the force caused him to fall forward, striking his head against one of the walls. He was out like a light.

I sat there stunned for a minute. Part of me horrified that I had knocked him out and the other part of me horrified that this might mean I need to diet. I looked down and checked my thighs for dimpling.

Ranger was helping Lightning to his feet. He was smiling all 200 watts at me. This was all the stimulation I needed. I jumped up and began dancing around Justice. "That's what you get for trying to mess with my man! You mess with the bull you get the horns!"

"Babe."

"Too much?"

Ranger was smiling at me as he picked up his clothes. Mick walked over to us and spoke to Ranger. "If you sign with me right now I'll give you a $3 million contract. Right now."

Ranger didn't look at Mick. He was still smiling at me. "I already have $3 million."

He handed Mick his card. "You can send the tickets here. No one touches Stephanie."

Ranger tucked me against him as we walked back into the sun and the sound of the rides.

"So, Babe. No one messes with 'your man'?"

"You were half naked!"

http://www2. is a link where you can plug in your name to get your WWE name. Lightning Lawrence is Ranger's name and American Justice is Joe Morelli. I thought that was funny. Mine was Electric Squat-Trust. I don't know what that means, but it reminds me of working out so it's stupid.


	5. Part five

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Janet owns everything.

Note: Short chapter. Every story has to have a little angst. Even if it's pathetic angst ramping up to the smut.

Day Off

Part five

By now it was about 7:00. We had been on all the good rides. We hadn't eaten dinner because Ranger felt he couldn't chance the odds two times in a row. He promised me takeout after we left. But he did get me a Lemon Chill. I got my own Churro.

We were ready to go when Ranger pulled me to one last ride.

"Let's go on this one, Babe. You might get a little wet, so I saved it for last. Your hair, and all." I wasn't sure how he meant that but I let it go. The ride was called Movietown Water Effect. You rode on a boat up a hill and then slid down a big 60 foot waterfall. Sure. Why not.

Ranger was a perfect gentleman since he picked our last ride. He even let me tuck my head behind him as we splashed down. He got some water right to his face and I teased him and ruffled his newly shortened hair. We were tussling as we walked off. I kept trying to get to his hair and he kept my wrists in a Ranger death lock. Suddenly he stopped and pulled my arms around his waist. He was looking at me like I was the only person around.

"Babe, I had a great time today. There hasn't been anyone in my life for a long time that has made me laugh like this. I don't mean just today. I started smiling the day you walked into that café and I haven't stopped. I don't ever want to stop." And he kissed me. Hard. I was so caught up in his words and the kiss that I forgot completely about the other people around us. I didn't notice that some of them had stopped. I didn't notice that we were on a bridge, not even off the ride yet. And I didn't hear the roar of the next boat sliding down or notice the screams of the people as they fell. But I did notice when Ranger suddenly spun me around and ducked down behind me, his arms locking me in place. A wall of water like I had never seen crashed into me, annihilating every stitch of clothing I had on. Ranger's only saving grace was that he was able to keep me upright when the wave hit me.

I stood frozen, water pouring off of me. Only the sound of booming laughter finely ended my stupor. Ranger was bent over, fairly wet himself, but immensely pleased.

"I can't believe that worked!"

I made a grab for him which he easily dodged, despite his laughing.

Suddenly his words sank in and I felt a lead weight in the pit of my stomach. He can't believe that worked? So that was just a bunch of crap to keep me occupied? I felt like I was going to cry. Ranger was still laughing, his eyes dancing.

"I'm sorry, Babe. I couldn't pass that up."

I smiled at him and pretended to give chase. After all, he had told me many times that his lifestyle didn't lend itself to relationships. That he would probably never be family material. But I think that I had been hoping that he had changed his mind with the way he had been acting, the way he acted today. I would just shove it down and pull it back out later. With ice cream and a beer. Or four beers.

Ranger grabbed my wet hand and pulled my wet ass towards the exit. He was laughing and teasing and I was trying hard to keep it up but I saw his smile falter a little now and then. Inside I just wanted to go home and call it a day. When we reached the Porsche, Ranger finally realized something wasn't right.

"Babe. What happened? Are you mad about the water?" He was smiling slightly, but his eyes were tense.

"Nothing is wrong, Ranger. Really. I'm just tired." Drop it drop it drop it drop it.

"I know something is wrong. We've had such a good day. Please tell me what I did to upset you."

Now here is the thing. There is NO way that I was going to tell Ranger what was wrong and look like an idiot. What was I going to admit? That I fell for his little gag and I'm mad because he doesn't love me? No way. No sir. There is not one chance in holy hell that the words are ever going to come out of my mouth.

"You said you can't believe it worked! I thought you meant it. I thought you really cared! But I'm still just entertainment to you, aren't I? I'm just a fun girl to go on a few rides with and joke around with and that's it! You can't play with my emotions, Ranger. It hurt when you did it last time and it hurts now!"

Fuck.

I don't have enough ice cream for this. I'm going to have to make a store run.

Ranger calmly assessed me. I had tears in my eyes, but I was adamantly staring up into the sky, trying to will them away. This was embarrassing enough without tears. It was still before closing time so, luckily, the employee parking lot was empty.

"Stephanie."

Oh great. My full name. Well, he can screw himself. I continued to stare up at the sky, trying to recite the alphabet backwards.

"Stephanie." This time he reached out and cupped my face with both hands, bringing my eyes down to meet his. That was the final straw and tears spilled over.

"Is that what you really think?"

I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to think it. I stared over his shoulder, then at a tree, then at the ground.

"Babe, look at me." I stared at the ground for a few more seconds out of defiance and then met his gaze.

"How could you possibly think for one minute that I don't love you?"

I stared at him. He still had both hands cupping my face and was looking intensely at me. I felt myself waver. Ranger had never lied to me.

"How could you possibly think for one minute that you aren't the _best_ thing in my life?"

My breathing stopped. We were staring at each other intensely, Ranger willing me to see the truth and me trying so hard to see it. He brushed my tears away with his thumbs.

"But you said it was a joke."

"No, I meant I couldn't believe you weren't aware of your surroundings. I meant to just kiss you but when you looked up at me I couldn't stop from blurting that out. I almost missed the boat myself." At this his lips tipped up slightly. I almost started to smile back.

"You love me?"

"You know I love you. I'm sorry you doubted it."

"But not enough to change your relationship stance." If I was going to do it, I was going to do it all.

For the first time, Ranger broke eye contact and looked down. My stomach dropped.

"Babe, we are going to finish this conversation, but not in the employee parking lot at Six Flags. Will you come back to my place?"

"Will you buy me fat on the way?"

"How about I buy you Ella?"


	6. Part six

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Janet owns everything.

Day Off

Part six

We were silent on the way back to Ranger's. He had taken my hand immediately and stroked the top with his thumb all the way back, in his zone. I sat in quiet contemplation. I knew he loved me. He had always told me that. But the way he had been acting lately I thought he was changing his mind about his relationship stance. And there it was. I had no one to blame but myself.

We pulled in to Rangeman and rode up to seven. Ranger still had my hand. Ella had set out dinner. Roast pork with sautéed vegetables and new potatoes. And per my demand there was half of a gooey chocolate cake with a note about ice cream in the freezer. It was like she could sense when Ranger was an ass.

"I'm going to jump in the shower real quick before my hair afros. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, Babe."

I powered through my shower, carefully avoiding the Bulgari. The fact that my shampoo and conditioner were standard in his shower depressed the hell out of me. I threw in some gel and put my hair back in one of his ties. I pulled on one of his shirts and my clean undies with Rangeman stitched on the ass and a pair of shorts. Did the clothes I had here keep multiplying?

Ranger had the food ready when I came back out. We ate mostly in silence, postponing our discussion by mutual consent. We talked a little about some cases we both had coming up. I even ate the veggies.

When we were done, Ranger excused himself to take a shower. He pulled off his shirt as he was talking and I stared. I couldn't stop myself. No matter how many times I saw his stomach, I wanted to lick it every time. And I didn't want to stop there. I wanted to lick upwards to his neck and then I wanted to trail back down, drop to my knees and slowly ease his pants over his hips and….

"Babe."

I dragged my eyes back to his. He was smiling but his eyes were very dark and very hot. Oh God. Please tell me I didn't say any of that out loud.

"You said it all out loud." He was walking toward me. I backed up a step. He stepped forward again and I stepped back until I was flush against the wall, my breathing ragged. Ranger was leaning into me with both hands on either side of my head.

"Babe, do you want this?"

And I did. Even if this was all I was going to get.

I closed my eyes. "God help me, but I do. I will probably regret it, but I want it."

Ranger stilled and stepped back. I opened my eyes.

"No, Babe. No regrets. If we do this it's because you want me." His eyes became blank. "Did you regret last time?" He asked quietly.

"Yes and no, Ranger. I don't regret the night we spent together. But I regret the way you treated me the next morning. It hurt bad enough and my feelings weren't fully involved yet. If you treat me that way this time, I won't just be feeling bad about a one night stand. I…love you." I looked away. I couldn't look at him in my honesty. "And I know you don't want anything more than this, but I need it. Even if it is just one more night." I was still looking away when I felt him back up. He didn't even want the one more night.

Ranger sat heavily on a chair, his legs stretched out in front of him and stared at the floor. He looked deflated and weary. I was about two seconds away from bolting when he spoke.

"You want to know the truth?" I nodded. "I'm tired, Steph. I'm tired of my schedule. I'm tired of being on call for my clients 24/7. I'm tired of leaving town on a moments notice and being gone for weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I want to be involved, but I have been toying with promoting Tank. Giving him more responsibility. The problem is that he scares people, but I have someone in mind for a Client Relations role, but we can talk about that later." He paused and looked up at me. "But do you know what I'm really tired of?" I waited, holding my breath. "I'm tired of waking up in the morning without you there. I'm tired of pushing you away. I don't mind being alone, but I can't be without _you_ any longer."

I took a step nearer and Ranger reached out and pulled me between his legs. He threaded his fingers between mine and I could see the emotion plain in his eyes.

"I'm so in love with you, Babe. You may not even want to take a chance but if I don't try to fix what I've fucked up that will be _my _regret for the rest of my life."

I was speechless. A combination of fear, joy and hope welled up inside of me. Ranger was laying himself bare before me and allowing me to make a choice. He was watching my thoughts, his eyes never leaving mine. It took me all of about five seconds before I fell into him.

"Oh God, Ranger. I love you!"

Ranger crushed me to him, kissing me like a lost man. In a heartbeat he pulled us up, our arms wrapped around each other. We were all tongue and teeth and I had never experienced anything sweeter in my life. His hands slipped beneath my shirt and caressed my sides and my back. He eased my shorts off and started walking us backwards towards the bedroom, his hands cupping my ass. I ground myself against his erection causing him to groan. My hands stroked up his chest and down to his stomach. When I fumbled for the buckle to his shorts he grabbed my hands.

"Not yet."

By this time we had made it into his bedroom. He pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside, leaving me in only my panties. His eyes raked over my body, lingering on my chest and I felt a flood of wetness between my legs.

"You're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

I must have looked doubtful because he spun me around. In front of us, by the bed, he had a full length mirror on the inside of his armoire door which was standing open.

"Look at yourself. The way your skin flushes when I touch you." My back was to his front and he lifted both of my hands up and around his neck, securing them there with his left hand. With his right he tilted my head away, baring my neck. He licked up from the base and just touched my earlobe with his tongue. I shivered at his hot breath and he worked his way back down my neck, nipping slightly as he went. His right had moved down to my stomach and he continued to kiss and lick my neck. His hand traced circles, getting closer to my breasts with each pass. My nipples ached for his touch, but he kept away.

I ground back against him and moaned. He tightened his grip on my wrists and my stomach to still me. Slowly he brushed across one nipple as lightly as he could before moving his hand back to my stomach. I moaned again. He shifted around to the other side of my neck still keeping my hands prone. His right hand reached back up and brushed across my nipple. This time he left it there and he continued to caress and rub them lightly while he bit down on my neck. I was writhing at this point. I don't think I had ever been so turned on in my life and he still had his shorts on.

When I ground into him again, he moved his hand down over my panties between my legs. I heard his breath hitch when he felt my wetness.

"God, Babe." He breathed against my ear.

He continued to stroke me, tracing his fingers up and down the length of me. Slowly one finger slipped inside my panties and he lightly touched me up and down. I almost lost it.

"Ranger, please!"

He removed his finger and pulled my thigh up until he had placed my right foot on the end of the bed and pushed on it softly, telling me to keep it there. I was now spread open with my hands still pinned behind his neck.

"Look in the mirror, Babe." I opened my eyes and we watched as he slid his hand back down and into my panties. His fingers stroked me until I was pushing against them and moaning. I was slowly spiraling out of control. When his fingers brushed against my clit, I bucked against him. His hand immediately withdrew.

"Not quite yet." He breathed after I had protested loudly.

He released my hands and came around the front of me, his back to the mirror. He brought my foot down from the bed and removed my panties. Placing my foot back on the bed he kneeled before me and angled us so I could see his mouth in the mirror.

"Now watch how beautiful you are when I make you come." I could feel his breath against my wetness and I slid my hands in his hair. I couldn't look away as he licked slowly up my folds. My head fell back.

He angled his shoulder under my raised thigh bringing his arm over, reaching around so he could use both hands to spread me open. He continued to lick, using his whole tongue in sensuous strokes. He moved back down to my center and I felt him thrust his tongue in and out before moving his mouth back up, licking my folds as he went. He removed one hand and thrust two fingers inside me, moving them until he found the right spot. At the same time he moved his tongue over my clit and I started to come, the pressure building out of control. As my release washed over me, I felt him press gently on my oversensitive clit, prolonging my orgasm. I cried his name and felt and heard him moan against me.

Ranger stood up and with one arm around me to keep me steady he removed his shorts and boxers. The second he was free, I ran my hands down his stomach and began stroking him up and down. He grabbed my hands.

"Babe, I don't need any help. I'm trying to hold it together, as it is." With that he picked me up and laid me in the middle of the bed, covering my body with his own.

"God, I need you so bad, Ranger." And I did. I felt like if I didn't get him deep inside me I would go out of my mind. We had waited so long.

Ranger settled between my thighs and brushed his erection against me, causing me to groan.

"Babe." I opened my eyes and looked into his, seeing all that he felt. He brushed a kiss against my lips, his eyes still looking into mine, his voice rough. "I love you, Stephanie. I'm not sure either one of us will ever be family or marriage material but I was hoping we could make that up as we go. Babe, just be with me." I felt my heart swell with contentment.

"I love you, too, Ranger. I just want you for the rest of my life. However we find our way."

Ranger smiled and slid into me. He stilled and brought his face down to my neck. "Oh, I'm a dead man." Then he whispered something in Spanish that I had no idea what it was but it sounded dirty.

Slowly he began to thrust, pulling out, rolling his hips, grinding back in. I could feel him hot and hard, deep inside every time he thrust. He grabbed my thighs and pushed them forward slightly so that he felt deeper, pressing that spot way inside.

I groaned and grabbed his ass and thrust him into me, causing him to groan harder. He sat back and pulled me up so that I was straddling his lap. I wrapped my legs around his waist. Ranger pulled my head down and kissed me as I began to move against him.

We made love slowly then, whispering to each other, no longer needing to hold back. Finally we couldn't take it and Ranger gripped my hips thrusting hard until I climaxed and he followed, rasping out my name. He rolled us over so that I was cradled into his chest. Both of us were smiling lazily.

"Stay the night?" He whispered.

"How else would I be able to abuse you several more times?" I was relaxed and satisfied and feeling a little smug. I loved Ranger and he loved me. All was right in our worlds.

We lay quietly for a little while before I felt Ranger kiss my forehead.

"So, Babe. What's next?"

"I was thinking Disneyworld." Ranger pulled back to look at me.

"I don't think so. You might drag me to Hurricane Harbor so I can see you in a bikini, but there is no way I'm going to Disneyworld."

"Hmmm. A challenge."

"There is never going to be a simple day off with you, is there?"

"Nope. And stop trying to distract me from my goal."

"You go ahead and work on that. I have a challenge of my own." And with that he rolled on top of me and drove Disneyworld right out of my mind.

The End


End file.
